Baylor's Jackson Named to Wooden Award Top 50

Baylor's Jackson Named to Wooden Award Top 50

Senior All-American PG among 50 preseason candidates

LOS ANGELES – Baylor senior All-American point guard Pierre Jackson has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50, as announced Thursday by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Jackson is one of 50 student-athletes named to the preseason watch list. The players are the early front-runners for college basketball's most prestigious honor, based on last year's individual and team performance.

Additionally, Baylor freshman Isaiah Austin is among 15 players mentioned as transfers and freshmen who could make the midseason and final watch list. Transfers, freshmen and medical redshirts are not eligible for the Preseason Top 50. Austin is a top five national recruit from Arlington's (Texas) Grace Prep Academy. He's the third McDonald's All-American to play for head coach Scott Drew at Baylor.

Jackson, who is the 2012-13 Big 12 Conference Preseason Player of the Year, led Baylor with 13.8 points, 5.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game in his debut season in Waco last year. His 223 assists were the second-highest single-season total in program history, and he posted double-figure points in 27 of 38 games, including an average of 17.6 points per game in the last eight contests.

Student-athletes in the Preseason Top 50 are considered strong candidates for the midseason list and the official voting ballot, both of which are open to freshman and transfer students. The national ballot consists of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA. The Wooden Award All-American Team, consisting of the nation's top 10 players, will be announced the week of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

The 37th annual Wooden Award ceremony will honor the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners, and will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams. The event will take place the weekend of April 12-13.

Jackson is one of five Big 12 Conference players listed in the Preseason Top 50, joining Kansas' Elijah Johnson and Jeff Withey, Kansas State's Rodney McGruder and Oklahoma State's Le'Bryan Nash. Austin is joined by Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart as the only Big 12 players listed among the 15 freshmen and transfers to watch.

No. 19/18 Baylor opens the 2012-13 season when it hosts Lehigh at 4 p.m. Friday at the Ferrell Center. The game will be televised live on FOX Sports Southwest and FCS Central as part of Baylor Vision on FOX Sports, Baylor's third-tier television package. Single-game and season tickets can be purchased by visiting www.BaylorBears.com/tickets.

Terry Maston scored 24 points and Baylor beat No. 7 Texas Tech 59-57 on Saturday night, ending the Red Raiders' seven-game winning streak after the Big 12 leaders lost top scorer Keenan Evans to a foot injury in the first half. Maston, who finished two points shy of his career high set in the previous game against Texas, hit the go-ahead shot with 1:26 remaining as the Bears (17-10, 7-7 Big 12) continued their push for the NCAA Tournament with a fifth straight win following a 2-7 sta...More >>

Terry Maston scored 24 points and Baylor beat No. 7 Texas Tech 59-57 on Saturday night, ending the Red Raiders' seven-game winning streak after the Big 12 leaders lost top scorer Keenan Evans to a foot injury in the first half. Maston, who finished two points shy of his career high set in the previous game against Texas, hit the go-ahead shot with 1:26 remaining as the Bears (17-10, 7-7 Big 12) continued their push for the NCAA Tournament with a fifth straight win following a 2-7 sta...More >>

Baylor women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey is one of four women’s committee finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be included on the ballot for the 2018 Class, the organization announced at NBA All-Star Weekend on Saturday afternoon. “If I’m ever fortunate to make it into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, I hope Baylor will help me pay for every kid I’ve ever coached to go there because I’m only as g...More >>

Baylor women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey is one of four women’s committee finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be included on the ballot for the 2018 Class, the organization announced at NBA All-Star Weekend on Saturday afternoon. “If I’m ever fortunate to make it into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, I hope Baylor will help me pay for every kid I’ve ever coached to go there because I’m only as g...More >>

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team saw a last second shot go through for a game-winner for the second time in a month as the Cru dropped a 76-74 heartbreaker to Howard Payne Saturday evening in Brownwood. UMHB closes out the regular season with a 17-8 overall record and a 10-7 mark in American Southwest Conference play. Howard Payne moves to 11-14 overall and 7-10 in the ASC with the victory. There were seven lead changes and three ties in the first half befor...More >>

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team saw a last second shot go through for a game-winner for the second time in a month as the Cru dropped a 76-74 heartbreaker to Howard Payne Saturday evening in Brownwood. UMHB closes out the regular season with a 17-8 overall record and a 10-7 mark in American Southwest Conference play. Howard Payne moves to 11-14 overall and 7-10 in the ASC with the victory. There were seven lead changes and three ties in the first half befor...More >>

Baylor baseball lost 5-2 to Houston Baptist on Saturday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears (1-1) were unable to hold off a late rally by the Huskies (1-1). BU started the game with an early lead thanks to a leadoff home run by Andy Thomas in the second. But the lead only last until the fourth, as HBU scratched a run off BU starter Kyle Hill on a hit, walk, sacrifice bunt and RBI groundout. The Bears had a one-out rally going in the fourth after a single by Davis Wendzel and wal...More >>

Baylor baseball lost 5-2 to Houston Baptist on Saturday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears (1-1) were unable to hold off a late rally by the Huskies (1-1). BU started the game with an early lead thanks to a leadoff home run by Andy Thomas in the second. But the lead only last until the fourth, as HBU scratched a run off BU starter Kyle Hill on a hit, walk, sacrifice bunt and RBI groundout. The Bears had a one-out rally going in the fourth after a single by Davis Wendzel and wal...More >>